Spirited Away Sequel: Life Goes On
by TheTravelWriter
Summary: It's been almost ten years since Chihiro has left the Spirit World, and she is about to leave to start in university in another city. Out of impulse, she decides to visit the abandoned theme park, but becomes trapped when she forgets the clocks went forward. Join Chihiro as she faces the struggles of the Spirit World once more. Rating may go up.
1. Chapter 1

I felt after so long of trying to avoid putting this up, I would finally bring out my Spirited Away sequel. Whether it's any good is up to you. I might do a few doodles in the future depending how creative I'm feeling. I hope you enjoy this first chapter.

**CHAPTER ONE: Packing**

The boxes were all packed and stood firmly in the corridor looking quite uncomfortable in the crowded area, straining as more cardboard boxes were placed on top of them. The upstairs bedroom was almost completely bare now; posters removed from the walls, bed sheets stripped, wardrobes empty. The only thing left were the photographs left on the desk; memories of Disneyland, class trips, and family holidays encased in their frames.

Chihiro took a while gathering the framed photos, feeling a slight sense of melancholy as she removed them from their natural born places. It felt strange placing them in the final cardboard box and taping the lid shut. The whole situation felt rather bizarre to her, perhaps because it felt like it came too soon.

It did not feel like ten years had passed. It did not feel like even a day had passed. She felt as though time had stayed completely still and she had simply repeated the same week over and over again with very little change in the middle (although those photographs did emphasise that certain things had happened and she had no intentions of denying it), and she certainly failed to sense any change in her personality.

She had always been a hard-working, mature individual and that had never really changed, perhaps because there was nothing to change it, and she was not really put in a situation in which she would have to test her own sense of maturity.

"Chihiro, is that everything?" Her mother called from downstairs.

"Yes! I'm just coming down!" Chihiro lifted up the cardboard box and walked carefully down the hallway and down the wooden staircase. Her mother was standing near the boxes, but not among them, holding two cups of tea. Chihiro placed the final box among its companions before collecting the cup and joining her in the hallway.

"It's pretty hard to believe isn't it?" How could it not? Chihiro never thought much about what she would do in the future; get a good job, get a house of her own, the usual. "I always knew this day would come…" Her voice was not happy, and Chihiro picked up on this. Her mother was usually a cool and collected individual. When she was a child, she was always the one telling her not to worry when she made and mistake and warning her about not doing something reckless when she ran off with her friends. It was strange to see her on the brig of tears, and Chihiro found herself quite flustered when it suddenly happened. Her mother quickly recovered, pushing a pleasant smile on her face. "Sorry, it just feels so strange. It's almost like I'm dreaming. Do you ever get that feeling?" Chihiro leaned back on the whitewash wall in contemplation.

"Once I had a dream, the day we moved in, where I was in a world completely different from my own. It was so strange, but so realistic, that even now I'm not sure if I was dreaming or awake." She tugged at her hair band. She never quite recalled whether she got it from the supposed spirit world, or if it was something she always had. "Sorry, I guess that didn't really help."

"Do promise to call whenever you can, Chihiro." Chihiro wasn't going that far away. It was a few cities away, but she could easily take a train or long bus ride home.

"I'll visit every weekend." She would have to use up a lot of diesel if she got herself a car, but she had been saving up for it and when she got it she would certainly find it easier to move around. "I'll call every day. I'm not too far away."

"It feels far away to me." There was silence for a few seconds; Chihiro was uncertain as to how she would respond to that. Then again, she was never particularly talented when it came to speaking to her mother.

Thankfully her father broke into the conversation before the silence could get too painful.

"Hey, Chihiro, some of your friends are here!" Three of her friends from school stood in the kitchen carefully analysing everything in their joking manner, as though they were investigating a crime scene.

"Coffee cup: blue with the words 'Number 1 Dad' written on it. Clearly the owner of this cup is a cliché and takes pride in this aspect of his personality. He also has a daughter." Said her pink-haired friend Momoko. Dyed of course, and tied in two pigtails. She was a flamboyant one, that was for certain, with a constant need to dye her hair multiple colours and a desire to dress in bright colours; contrasting with Chihiro's neutral tones and natural hair colour.

"Indeed it seems that the daughter is quite young, according to this drawing I see here on the fridge." A childhood drawing of the Spirit World. Her father put on the fridge for all to see and Chihiro was never able to take it off. Tobi was the one to notice this. He was from the South and had tan skin and the most beautiful blue eyes Chihiro had ever seen. He was also incredibly popular with the girls.

"Enough, you guys." Chihiro said with a light smile, entering the kitchen with a faint laugh.

"And here we meet the belle of the ball." Ryou was quiet before this moment, sitting quite relaxed by the kitchen table watching her. He was quite ordinary in appearance, but very intelligent.

"Oh, Chihiro~" Momoko sang, running up to Chihiro and embracing her like she were a pet puppy. "I'm going to miss you so much." They had already said their goodbyes the day before, but Chihiro assumed that it was probably best to say goodbye on the actual day as well.

"I've still got a few hours here, Momo." Chihiro responded, gasping when the others joined the embrace. "I'm not leaving this early. I've still got a few things to pack up." It was not enough to satisfy Momoko, but then again there was never enough to satisfy Momoko.

"Liar. I saw it all packed up at the front." Chihiro frowned ever so slightly; just a glimmer before her neutral smile appeared again. "Are you avoiding us?"

"No. I just… don't want to think about it too much." She answered with reluctance. She did not like to say her thoughts out loud, finding it to be too close for comfort even among her friends and family. "I might spend a few hours in town with you guys though." That was enough to get a massive, bright smile out of Momoko; how easily she could be brought back to life at the thought of shopping.

Shopping was another thing she was confused by. Down the hill was the main town in which the shopping district resided. Chihiro didn't _mind _shopping so long as it was for things she actually needed, seeing no point in buying extra fancy clothes that would cost more money and just get ruined anyway. She did like the scenery though. Despite being a town, it did little to damage the surrounding environment, and there was still forest that Chihiro could actually see. There were bridges that crossed the large river near the shopping area. However, the river was very quiet and lacked the life she assumed most rivers had. It was a very bleak river that made hardly any noise, and no creatures lived in it. Chihiro always assumed that it was polluted with some sort of toxin when the shopping district was completed 16 years earlier. She found it a real shame, and always found herself sad looking down at the lonely river, especially when she thought back to the river spirit and what had happened to it.

There was a man standing on the other side of the river just near the block of houses. He was a strange man, dressed in delicate, detailed robes of rich colours, dark hair styled elegantly but not in an exaggerated manner. He was a strange man, dressing in such a manner.

'Cosplayer?' Was the first thought that entered Chihiro's mind. She had not seen them often, but that did not mean that they did not appear. The man, whoever he was, was watching Chihiro with the saddest eyes she had ever seen. He simply stood watching her, before he turned and walked away.

"Wha-." Chihiro ran out to chase after him before she was pulled away by her friends. She had not even noticed the car coming towards her.

"Chihiro, are you crazy!?" Momoko almost screeched in fright. Chihiro saw the man there no longer. Where on earth had he disappeared to?

"Chihiro, why are you crying?" Ryou asked, startled by the sight. Chihiro was known to maintain her mother's cool much like her mother, so it would be rare to see her crying. Chihiro wiped away the tears, surprised herself. "Come on guys, I think we should head back."

They had only been around for two hours. They said their goodbyes once more, before returning home. Chihiro was still slightly bewildered by the incident. Had none of her friends seen the man? Or perhaps they had met him before so they did not mind it. Or maybe she was suffering from poor sleep and hallucinating. That seemed to make a lot more sense, so she brushed it off. She had not slept well for the past week, always worrying about leaving the house and getting roommates among many other things. Sitting in the living room alone was not a good way to handle such thoughts, and she would not be happy without her parents around to distract her.

"I think I'll go for a walk." She considered, turning off the TV which was showing trivial shows she was not actually paying any attention to. She rose from the leather couch and grabbed her beige fleece. Her parents would probably think she was still out with her friends, so she headed out without leaving a note.

She was not heading in any particular direction to start with. She starting on the dirt path into the forest, taking random twists and turns without much care. She knew the forest all too well, having spent a lot of time getting to know the roads. She only began to recognise where she was when she came across a certain stone guardian.

The guardian stood firmly in the centre of the path, not too far away from the red clock tower. Chihiro stared at her clock before entering. She had plenty of time to wander around, or at least that was what the time indicated: it was only four in the afternoon.

Standing in the field, Chihiro felt a sense of great nostalgia take over her. This was the last place she saw Haku and all of the other beings from the Spirit World. She was not lying when she said it felt as though it were a dream at times. Perhaps she fell asleep and dreamed up the whole situation. That was something she always contemplated, and as she walked up the stone stairs she began to believe this all the more. There was no way such scenery could change literally overnight and on a frequent basis. And her parents turning into pigs? It was almost laughable.

'But I still like it there.' She would not admit it at the time, fearing for her own life a large majority of the time, but looking back on it she found that not only was it a colourful and enjoyable experience, but it taught her a lot about the world.

Turning back to the main theme park, Chihiro almost skipped among the former food stands which stood silent around her, paints cracked and doors creaking with every gust of gentle wind and bit into her back.

'I should have dressed up warmer.' She thought regretfully. She would not go to collect an extra jacket then, seeing as she would not be there for long, and she was also paranoid about the meadow turning into an ocean by the time she got back. So she endured, focussing on the sights around her.

She stopped at the smell of food. Turning her head ever so slightly, she caught a glimpse of the sweet delicious meats that lay mocking her.

"Oh no, I am _not _eating you." She knew that trick all too well. She took out a stick of gum and popped it into her mouth, shooting a glare at the distrustful food, turning back towards the meadow. She had gone surprisingly far. "Guess I wasn't really paying attention." She checked her watch; it was only 4.30 so why was food out? She paused for a second, noticing the shadow spirits lurking around their displays, bringing out their goods ignoring Chihiro's existence. The scenery was changing, and it was changing fast. The sky was also beginning to change colour. Why? It was still so early. She checked her watch again: 4.31. So why? "Oh, you are kidding."

The clocks went forward that morning.

Chihiro ran. She ran as fast as she could, which was pretty fast with legs as long as hers, shoving past the frog men she once knew. She could not miss her chance to leave; not like last time. A frog stood at the bridge, introducing the guests to the bath house with fake cheer. The bridge had already formed. That meant-

A great, mighty ocean stood between Chihiro and her home. Lights glimmered all around her, voices of many spirits surrounding her, but she did not care for them. She stood panting loudly, trying to cover it up as fast as she could. She had missed her chance to return because the clocks went forward.

"You've got to be joking."


	2. Chapter 2

And I am back once more. This chapter is significantly shorter than the last chapter, but I think I got by with it. I hope you enjoy it, despite its faults.

**CHAPTER TWO: Under Contract**

She could not panic; she had to remain calm. Chihiro found that she was hyperventilating, fear taking over her almost immediately after she realised how dire her situation was. It was not exactly the best response considering the circumstances, but it did allow for an adrenaline rush which she used to push herself forward, running almost wildly to the bridge that would lead to the bath house. She knew that if she were caught, she would be as good as dead. Undoubtedly, she would be turned into a pig or something worse.

'Stay calm, stay calm. I just need to make it across this bridge and blend into the crowd.' But the last time she visited she was mentioned to smell _very _human. Then again, she was also told that if she ate the food for a few days the smell would go away.

She stood before the great red bridge of the bath house. The side she stood on was where the spirits were being introduced. It was also where the restaurants and food shops stood, glistening brightly in the dark. She hardly had time to enjoy the scenery, trying to figure out how long she could hold her breath and whether she could make it all the way across the bridge without taking a single breath. She had almost managed it last time; she just hoped she could handle it this time.

Taking a deep breath, Chihiro stepped onto the bridge, blocking her nose and shutting her mouth. Her eyes wandered the bridge, eyeing the bizarre spirits with mild curiousity. They were just as strange as she remembered, in fact they were even stranger and more colourful than she recalled. She stepped out of the way slightly, making sure not to step on one of the spirits that stopped in front of her. In fact, they were all stopping in their places. Curious, Chihiro leaned to the side to get a good look at the situation.

There was a problem at the bridge entrance, the frog men trying to reason with the situation and failing horribly.

"I'm sorry, folk, but the bath house is full at the moment and we cannot make room for other spirits. If you just wait for a few hours everything will clear up soon." The bath house could not be full. It was so large that Chihiro found the thought hilariously confusing, but used the distraction to move further forward.

"This is an outrage! I spent good money on this!" Yelled what appeared to be a dark red ogre who threw his sandal at one of the frog men furiously. Chihiro dodged the sandal, moving on while the spirits began to resort to violence. More objects were thrown; another sandal hitting Chihiro on the head, causing her to gasp in surprise.

Attention was on her almost immediately. Terrified and startled, Chihiro threw some of the spirits aside, running forward as fast as she could and jumping over the frog men that reached out to grab at her as she sprinted onwards, glancing back once to see some of the men chasing after her, crashing into a spirit. She did not know what it was, but it was surprised by her sudden crash but let out a yelp of horror once it figured out she was human. She pushed past the spirit, running down the main street as fast as she could, turning down an alleyway and past food storage until she came to a place that she could declare a decent hiding place.

It was a small garden that she knew rather well. It was the same place Haku led her to when she first came into the spirit world to hide. She hid among the bushes, curling into a tight ball. Frog men ran past the bushes, hunting her down like dogs. She remained still, breathing heavily from the running. Eventually, her breathing slowed in pace, letting her relax.

'Ha, if they were dogs they would have found me by now.' She thought with a faint smile. She was scared to move, her arms and legs tense and sore. They would certainly hurt by tomorrow, especially if she would be running more, but she could focus on that later. She was trying to lighten her situation, but it was becoming a challenge. She would be crying had she not feared it would give her away.

Letting out a gentle sigh, Chihiro peeked her head out of her hiding place. The path was clear, and there was no sign of further threats for the time being. She climbed out of the shrubbery, keeping in a crouching position until she was certain it was safe to stand up. Her legs were beginning to shake, much to her dismay, but she was not trapped on the ground like she had been previously.

'Nonetheless, it won't take long for Yubaba to find me at this rate.' Once Yubaba found her, she was mincemeat. Or bacon depending on what Yubaba felt like turning her into. She would need to find somewhere better to hide; somewhere the Yu-birds could not find her.

Her stomach growled unpleasantly. Looking at her clock, Chihiro found that it would be pointless to check the time seeing as the clock had stopped working the moment she entered the spirit world. She could steal some food away if she was careful, but would she be turned into a pig if she did so?

'No, I'm here now and I don't think Yubaba has found anything out yet.' No, her parents became pigs while it was still daylight and while they were still in the human world. So long as she was careful, she would do just fine. The question was where could she get herself something to eat. 'Maybe Kamaji can help me.' He would either dismiss her or help her for nostalgias sake. It was not like there was much she could do under the circumstances.

She knew the path well, and still found the stairs to be the most frightful thing within the entire bath house. There was no railing for her to hold onto, the stairs were very narrow and steep, so if she slipped she would fall straight into the ocean and to her death.

'Not the best way to end a story, huh?' A nervous smile appeared on her face as she crouched down, shuffling down the stairs on her butt. If it worked when she was a child, it would work now.

It was a slow process that should not have taken as long as it had, but at least no one would be around to see her take the path. She doubted very many spirits knew it anyway. Opening the rusty metal door, Chihiro entered the boiler room and quietly made her way towards the room in which the spider demon lived.

He was hard at work just as she remembered, but he looked older than she last recalled, with greying hair and more wrinkles than he previously had. Along with this, his corner of the room was in poor condition compared to the rest of the room, with bowls or food piling up and the faint smell of mildew clear to Chihiro. Her room used to reek of it in the summer before they got rid of it, so she knew the smell well. She would have thought that Lin would have taken better care of the old man, but that did not appear to be the case.

"Um… good evening." She announced with slight nervousness, knocking on the metal door before stepping in, her shoes causing the wooden floor to creak loudly. It had not been polished for quite some time, and was blackening because of the coal and soot. There was no response, rather he continued with his work. An arm reached out for one of the drawers, pulling out some herbs and grinding them down. "Hello." Chihiro said a bit louder, stepping forward as the soot balls came out of their home to greet her. At least they gave her a warm welcome.

"Back with the lot of you." Kamaji barked loudly, banging a gong furiously. The soot balls shuffled away, disappearing back into their mouse-like chambers. "And what are you doing here, human?" He did not appear to recognise her, but it had been ten years so she was not surprised.

"I'm looking for a job." She stated bluntly, keeping her face straight and serious. If there was one thing she learnt in the adult world, it was that you had to appear tough to get by.

"Go away. I have no job to offer."

"I have previous experience working in a bath house as well as a restaurant. I offer both good food and cleaning up. I help take care of the household work while you continue your work." She insisted. She had to be persistent, or she would get nowhere. Kamaji did not seem in the slightest bit interested, continuing with his work. "Where is Lin?" Indeed, she had appeared to disappear from the set, according to the state of the room.

This question drew in Kamaji's attention. He stopped rolling the herbs, turning his head to Chihiro and leaning forward, his eyes hidden by the sunglasses.

"And _how _do you know her?" Chihiro stared back unwavering.

"I would like to have a job, sir." The staring competition lasted only a short while before Kamaji leaned back and continued with his work. Chihiro waited patiently for him to speak again. A spindly arm pulled out a piece of paper that was clearly a contract and handed it to Chihiro.

"Here you go. Write your name on the dotted line." She knew how this went. She took out her pencil and began to write down her name. She would keep the pencil on her, seeing as it would be her way of remembering her actual name. She did not put down her actual name. She did not like the idea of selling away her actual name so she wrote down another: Ichigo.

The paper slipped away from Chihiro. Kamaji eyed the contract as Chihiro stood straight once more, erasing some of the signs.

"And now you are Ichi. Get yourself a uniform from upstairs and then clean up this mess."

"Yes sir." Chihiro bowed and trotted over to the small sliding doorway on the other side of the room, removing her socks and shoes. Shuffling out of the room, Chihiro stood in the bath house under contract once more. Now she was safe to wander on her own. "Lucky."


End file.
